Banned Books Week 2015!

It’s Banned Books week 2015!  What is it? The annual event that occurs in late September and celebrates the freedom to read. This year Banned Books week occurs September 27th – 3rd October and like every year the ALA (American Library Association) librarians, booksellers, and readers (like you and me) take the time to highlight the value of free and open access to information.

This year took the ALA have chosen to focus on Young Adult fiction for their theme. Below is their top ten list of challenged/banned books of 2014:

1)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

2)      Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

3)      And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

4)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

5)      It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

6)      Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples

7)      The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

8)      The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

9)      A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard

10)  Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

Today, in honor of this event I’ll be listing five of my favorite banned books that I’ve read over the years.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

A Light Up in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred B. Taylor

Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Judy Blume

Though I may have read these books when I was a bit younger I would still recommend them to young & old readers. I truly appreciate the ALA for raising awareness about banned books, not only during this week, but all year-long. Banned/challenged books are essential to us and having the freedom to read books like these and others is very important.

For more information about Banned Books Week 2015 and how to participate in and promote awareness the event visit:

http://www.ala.org/bbooks/ and http://bannedbooksweek.org/

What are your personal Banned book recommendations? Comment below and share your picks!